The Ruining - Anna Collomore

::Post by Jackie Lindert::

Synopsis: Annie Phillips is thrilled to leave her past behind and begin a shiny new life on Belvedere Island, as a nanny for the picture-perfect Cohen family. In no time at all, she falls in love with the Cohens, especially with Libby, the beautiful young matriarch of the family. Life is better than she ever imagined. She even finds romance with the boy next door. All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play? "The Ruining "is a complex ride through first love, chilling manipulation, and the terrifying depths of insanity.

I was a little all over the place about this book. I was lukewarm in the beginning, and then out of nowhere, I was starting to really get into it. The psychological manipulation and the crazy games Libby plays had me totally freaked out (in a good way!). Anna Collomore does an amazing job at writing these characters. I honestly started wondering whether it was Annie, Libby, or even me that was going completely crazy.

My favorite character in this book was Zoe, the Cohen's little adorable daughter who Annie cares for. She is truly the most trustworthy person throughout the whole book. I also really loved the tie in with The Yellow Wallpaper, which fit so well into this book.

I really like Owen, too. But I started to lose a little faith in him toward the end. He's a little too "knight in shining armor" for me. The damsel in distress scenario was a little overplayed here. I know Annie was probably not mentally stable enough to save herself sometimes, but I just wanted to shake her! I mean she was taking a feminism class for crying out loud. She should have taken the reins into her own hands a few times.

 The last part of this book was actually a bit of a let down for me considering how into it I was up to that point. It became very rushed, and it all tied up a little too neatly with some unanswered questions. I guess I wanted a more believable, paced-out ending that really concluded everything.

I would recommend this book despite my hesitations. It really gets into your head, and the writing is great. It wasn't like anything else I've read lately. I'm not overly excited about it, but it's worth a read. I hope you enjoy it!